Binoculars for the holidays

My family and I are taking the Christmas holidays in Spain this year. We are going to spend some time in Barcelona but also a lot of time in the Pyrenees skiing and even doing some winter camping. We will visit friends in Berga and elsewhere, and spend some time visiting old churches, which is a passion of mine. We will also spend some time at the beach in Arenys de Mar and up the hill at the monastery (of course!)

So, my investment in optics is exploding. I recently bout a $2000 digital SLR camera--the Canon EOS 30D--and now I am looking for a new pair of binoculars for birding, boat watching, and just fooling around. Problem is, I don't actually know anything about binoculars. My previous experience has been limited to old pairs of opera glasses purchased at tag sales.

I found a nice guide to buying binoculars at www.OpticsPlanet.net. The guide explains all the key terms including magnification, aperture, various coatings, diopter, eyecups, various types of glass, resolution, etc. Then, it turns out that the guide is provided by a great binoculars dealer providing free UPS on orders over $29.95. And my order was way, way over $29.95!

Link: binoculars